Bagging a brace in a 2-1 win over England at a World Cup is fairly average as well.

Hodgson, having just watched Uruguay's Luis Suarez single-handedly outclass his centre backs, still refused to refer to Luis Suarez for what he is: world class.

In the buildup to Thursday's match, Hodgson said Suarez needed to repeat his Liverpool feat to be considered among the best.

He was asked the same question post-match.

"Luis Suarez scored the two goals," Hodgson said, according to ESPN. "The first goal was exceptionally good, top, top class.

"The second one he was a bit fortunate to get himself free but when he did he made literally no mistake. We know what Suarez can do."

Before the World Cup, Hodgson also said he was aware of what Toronto FC's Jermain Defoe could provide, which apparently wasn't enough to make his squad.

But Defoe had no quarrel with referring to Suarez as one of the best on the planet.

"You'll have to ask the manager (where did England go wrong?)," Defoe told QMI's Ryan Wolstat at a charity event in Toronto. "It's just the opposition; you're going against the best in the world and one of them showed it today, Luis Suarez. It was a difficult game. You have to win games, and we just were unfortunate today.

"Obviously, you sit back and you think if you were there, maybe you could have done something, come in and got a goal or something, but, at the end of the game, for me, there's no point even thinking about it because I'm not there. I would have loved to have been there, but maybe just have to sit back and watch and support their players because they are all my friends."

RED CARD MADNESS

First, it was Cameroonian midfielder Alex Song lashing out Wednesday night here in Manaus.

A day later, it was Greek captain Kostas Katsouranis, who managed to get sent off before halftime.

The number of experienced players producing silly moments has been astonishing at this World Cup.

In a match his side needed to win, Katsouranis received back-to-back yellow cards over the span of 10 minutes against Japan.

Katsouranis was done before the 40-minute mark, and might have finished off his team's chances of advancing despite Greece earning an eventual hard-fought goalless draw.

What's more is the way the 34-year-old vet went about receiving his second booking.

He needlessly arrived late for a challenge on Makoto Hasebe despite having defensive help in the middle third.

Kostas? More like Costly.

CASINO CUP

At World Cup venues across this country, clocks don't exist.

Like any good casino, it's as if FIFA isn't interested in letting players -- and fans -- know how much time is left in games.

Forget the score and you're out of luck, too. At Arena Fonte Nova (Salvador) and Arena Amazonia, a scoreboard isn't provided, a stark contrast from venues across North America.

The concern goes beyond a fan's ability to grab a beer before last call.

Match clocks typically control the ebb and flow of a match, especially in the Brazilian heat.

Players take more or less risks as time ticks up.

During last week's U.S. win over Ghana, one U.S. midfielder admitted the lack of time awareness confused the hell out of him.

After the U.S. went a goal up with minutes remaining, Kyle Beckerman was as lost as could be.

"Personally, I thought there were 20 minutes left," he told ESPN700.

"I had no idea how much time there was, so I’m telling the guys ‘Come on, let’s go, 20 minutes, 10 minutes,’ or whatever. In the stadium there weren’t many clocks, but finally I was able to see and saw that there was two minutes left in the 90 and then that there was five of stoppage."

Confusing, right? Kind of like the time I stayed out way too late in Vegas.

EXPLOSIVE MATCH

There are fireworks everywhere in this country.

Five-year-olds light them under overpasses, in alleyways or next to their family's front doors.

So, like children, Chile's misbehaved fans have been accused of lighting explosives inside stadiums -- more specifically during a game against Australia.

Not to lump everyone into the same group, but these are the same team's fans who barged through a stadium barrier earlier this week.

As a sign security measures are working, FIFA also announced Thursday that it has confiscated a plethora of butterfly knives from supporters entering Rio's Maracana.

At least somebody is testing for weaponry. During my first few days in the country the stadium in Salvador didn't even have its metal detectors turned on.

LAST WORD

A Brazilian international is on his way to MLS.

ESPN analyst Taylor Twellman first reported here in Brazil Thursday night that Kaka, who most-recently patrolled AC Milan's midfield, will join expansion side Orlando City in 2015. He'll be loaned to Sao Paulo until then.

Kaka has been rumoured to be joining Orlando after visiting with the club's top brass last year.

The 32-year-old Ballon d'Or winner was left out of manager Luiz Felipe Scolari's 2014 World Cup plans.